Carriage-curtain fastening



F. A. NEIDER. Carriage Gurtaih Fastening.

No. 231,345. Patented Aug. 17,1880.

A TE INVENTOH= N.PETERS, PHOTO-LITHQGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. D O.

i l l rial forming the back-stay.

llNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED A. NEIDER, 0F AUGUSTA, KENTUCKY.

CARRlAGE-CURTAlN FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 231,345, dated August 17, 1880.

K I Application filed January 8, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED A. NEIDER, of Augusta, in the county of Bracken and State of Kentucky, have invented certain Improvements in Fastenings for Carriage-Curtains, &c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates mainly to fastenings to be attached to the back-stays of carriagetops for securing either the side or back ourtains, or both, the object being to provide a neat, secure, and easily-operated fastening, which shall house the ends of the straps, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings which illustrate my invention, Figure l is a longitudinal mid-section of the fastening." Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. These two figures illustrate the invention in its preferred form, and as the other figures illustrate modifications of the same they will be more appropriately referred to hereinafter.

Let to represent the leather or other mate- To this is riveted or otherwise attached a plate, I), having a raised center, 0, formed by bending up the material of the plate. To the raised part c of the plate is secured (preferably by a rivet, (1,) a spring-plate, c, which plate is provided on its under side with pins or tongues g g. The tips of these pins pass through the holes in the straps h when the fastening is made, and engage notches or holes 15 in the plate I). The tip of the springc isbroken away at the right of Fig. 2 to show this construction of the plate.

The fastening is made by raising the end of the spring 0, (see dotted lines in Fig. 1,) sliping the strap h under it, and then letting the spring down, so that the spring 9 will engage the hole in the strap. The latter is then housed or concealed by the spring and is held fast. It may be readily released by simply raising the spring again.

To enable the plate I) to be readily attached to the stay a, I arrange the spring to turn in the rivet d, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, whereby the plate I) may be exposed for rivetin g.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a side and end elevation of a tubular casing corresponding to the plate b, and differing from it mainly in having vertical sides. This forms a more complete housing for the straps h, and may be preferred in some cases. This casing may be secured to the back-stay by causing clips a a formed on it to project through the stay, where they are clinched over a back plate, I).

In the first three figures I have shown a double-ended fastening adapted to secure the strap on both the side and back curtains; but I may dispense with one end, as shown in Fig. 4, which represents a single fastening.

In lieu of bending the plate I) to form a raised support for the spring, I may employ other means-as, for instance, an interposed washer, as shown in Fig. 5, or a thickened plate, Z), as shown in Fig. 6; or, in lieu of these, the center of the spring may be thickened, as shown in Fig. 7. Either of these 0011- structions will serve my purpose equally well.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a modification in which the plate I) is reversed in position, and provided with the pins 9, which bear directly upon the back-stay a, while the spring 0 is placed back of the stay. In this construction the pins are fixed and rigid, and to insert the strap h it is necessary to press back the stay and spring. As a further modification of this construction, the spring might be placed on the face of the stay and the pins be arranged to engage notches or holes in it. In either case the fastening would be made by depressing the spring instead of raising it, as in Figs. 1 and 2.

Heretofore such fastenings have been made by means of buckles, which leave the ends of the straps free to curl up and become stiff. This injures them and renders them unsightly and whentucks or housings are provided careless persons are liable to neglect them in their haste, and thus they are rendered useless.

In my device the fastening cannot be accomplished without housing the strap, and all trouble is therefore avoided.

I am aware that buckles with elastic tongues are not new, and I make no claim to this; but

What I do claim is- 1. The combination of the plate b, provided with a rise or elevation, c, or its substantial equivalent, and a notch or hole, "6, and the spring 6, secured thereto and provided with the pin g, arranged to engage the notch 2', all substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a fastening, the springplate 6, ar

ranged to turn on the rivet or pin (1, so as to t the spring and notches or apertures 2' i at its expose the plate b and enable it to he attached, ends, suhstantially as herein set forth. 10 substantially as set forth. In witness whereof I have hereunto signed 3. The combination, to form a double fastenmy name in the presence of two subscribing ing, of the spring-plate 1', provided with pinsg witnesses. g at its ends, and pivoted at its center on the Witnesses: FRED A. NEIDER. rivet or screw (I, with the plate h, provided I PETER CAMPBELL, with an elevation, e, at its center to support I JOHN A. HOPKINS. 

